Sunnington
Banned
Call me crazy, but I don't think games needed to look any better than they did on the PS2.
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PS2 Appreciation & Celebration Thread, long live the King!
- Thread starter Canis lupus
- Start date
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I remember my friend and I saying the same thing while playing Tekken Tag back in 2000.
I still kinda feel that way. It's a level of visual fidelity that's good enough... at least for me. Stuff looks like what it's supposed to, and you can have plenty of flashy doo-dads to go with it.
NormalFish
Banned
Yeah, I tend to agree. The only thing I want that the PS2 can't give me is higher resolutions. I am yet to play a PS2 game where I have graphical complaints that aren't directly tied to the game being 480i/p
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I dunno.. I have a nice upscaler and PS2 is often a bit muddier and grainier than I'd like.
Now OG Xbox, that still looks fantastic on a nice big set today. Sign me up for that if I have to be chained to an old school level of tech
Now OG Xbox, that still looks fantastic on a nice big set today. Sign me up for that if I have to be chained to an old school level of tech
NormalFish
Banned
I dunno.. I have a nice upscaler and PS2 is often a bit muddier and grainier than I'd like.
Now OG Xbox, that still looks fantastic on a nice big set today. Sign me up for that if I have to be chained to an old school level of tech
I attribute the muddiness to resolution issues and poor video out more than anything, so that's what I was referring to. You're right that the Xbox looks fantastic, though
Are you using component cables?
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Of course.
Comparing PS2 through component to Xbox through component is like night and day. It's hard for me to call a PS2 some perfect level of technology when it has a technological contemporary that has a significantly cleaner image, progressive scan on all games, etc.
Maybe the point is that this level of gaming was good enough. I can understand that. It was the last time games looked like games, instead of widescreen HD interactive films.
Ivan Amiibo
Banned
Some extra AA would be nice but i can relate to the sentiment. There's an alternate timeline where devs and fans agreed the graphics are good enough and focused on gameplay and art styles at 60fps. Wish i was there ;_;
Yeah I had my Dreamcast hooked up with VGA since last year...huge difference from composite.
NormalFish
Banned
All of the contemporary consoles beat out the PS2 video out, honestly. I can't speak to the dreamcast, but NGC 480i is dirty while 480p is very nice (much better than PS2). Xbox is a dream at all resolutions afaik.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
True. I got into VGA gaming with my Dreamcast in about 2008, and even in that age of HD consoles, the picture blew me away.
Just reminding you the HD (download only) remake exists. You're buying the physical goods but it doesn't come with all the physical goods? I'd pass.
I have online edition. Lol HD doesn't add jack shit to the game I dunno why people are so hung up on HD for everything. But it includes to two Gamest Mooks combined into an extra issue. The DVD can be found on Youtube. and maybe hopefully loose on an auction site. Which makes it more complicated for me.
I'm just reminding you the game you're buying is not complete is all. I have a pretty large collection myself and whenever I buy a game to save money/availability and its not complete (telling myself I'll pick it up later which I never do) I always kick myself later and it bugs the shit out of me when I see it on my shelf.
So many ps2 games without manuals ....
So many ps2 games without manuals ....
sixteen-bit
Member
Does 3rd Strike on PS2 have a low res mode like the DC version or are you forced to play in blurry 480i shit? I know PS2 is the preferred version if you don't have access to arcade, but I needs my scanlines!
Bandersnatch1
Member
I put a few hours into Echo Night Beyond and thought it was pretty good. Your character moves incredibly slow however and you frequently need to find specific items to progress so backtracking and searching for something you missed while moving slowly isn't the most fun. Cool atmosphere and scares though and I really liked the space station setting.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
My main issue isn't even 480i/p, it's that too many PS2 games' resolutions are lower than 480.
The difference between God of War II normally versus the high-res mode (where it uses the full resolution its outputting in) is jaw dropping.
Nope. DC version is bad though, it's got a bunch of bad changes in it. PS2 is almost arcade accurate (not perfect cause of resolution) but the speed is faster than arcade.
That said the audio is perfect.
Btw, if anyone wants this incomplete set I'll give you a decent price. It's not that easy but you can find loose DVDs here and there on yahoo.
Benzychenz
Member
Latest pickup yo
The difference in rating between the two tho 😂
Never played these before so I'm pretty pumped.
The difference in rating between the two tho 😂
Never played these before so I'm pretty pumped.
The PS2 version isn't the preferred version at all.
sixteen-bit
Member
What is? Online Edition? Don't the Urien unblockables not work on one side or something like that?
Yeah That's what I heard about the DC version. Plus it has a lot of input lag (like 7 frames!)
Thanks, I just ordered a copy and looking forward to the unique setting. The first one on ps1 sort of looks kings field-ish wouldn't mind trying that one either.
Ivan Amiibo
Banned
so I've just finished Berserk books 22-27, is the PS2 game as amazing as I'm hoping? I'm really happy this got a translation! I'm not expecting the deepest game but if everything else is in order, it'll at least be totally fucking nuts.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
No. It was a colossal letdown for me, even before I started reading the manga. I loved the anime, was a big fan of the Dreamcast game.... but no. This was boooooorrrrrriiiiiiinnnnggg. Plus you fight snowmen for the whole first level, and that's dumb.
Opening trailer is fucking rad, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juzLpYeoFkc
Ivan Amiibo
Banned
That sucks. I still have to try it and see how they went about modeling, animating, and voicing the characters. And try the dc game too.
Bandersnatch1
Member
There is a fan translation of the PS2 Berserk game. I played a bit using PCSX2 but yeah, I didn't care much for it. Infinitely respawning enemies is never a good idea. Sword of the Berserk was cool though. Its story is original and takes place between volumes 22 and 23 and Susumu Hirasawa did the soundtrack. I want to replay it now O_O.
IrishNinja
Member
snowman level is indeed terrible but i hear it gets better later....also yeah, i need to find that fan translation, any links?
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Lol, we already had this conversation earlier in the thread, but I didn't feel like it improved much. I didn't finish the game, but I played a good bit of it and was never particularly engaged. Gatsu just feels so clunky to control.
Ivan Amiibo
Banned
here is the 1.0 patch...last live link i could find that wasn't behind a bunch of bullshit:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/ugefnqj9o7pyep5/Berserk+ps2+patch_ENG+v1.0.rar
drtomoe123
Member
So I've spent the past month or so platform hopping and binge-playing some JRPGs and I'm really impressed with the PS2's JRPG library. The more I think about it, the more I feel justified in my slow realization that the PS2 might have the best JRPG lineup there is.
In my head I've always just figured PS1 > SNES > Saturn because I'm a PS1 fanboy but recently I've began to notice just how good and deep the PS2 library is. I mean, it's easy to get overshadowed by stuff like FFVII, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Chrono Trigger, but I'd argue that they're on the same level as (or even below) Nocturne, P4, and Digital Devil Saga -- and that's just in one series that also had P3 and the Raidou games. It's all there: SRPG, decent anime knockoffs, AAA FFs/KH/DQ, card RPGs, FROM shit, turn based, monster raising, action RPGs...and all of these niches have 2-3 games in them at least. Mindblowing.
In my head I've always just figured PS1 > SNES > Saturn because I'm a PS1 fanboy but recently I've began to notice just how good and deep the PS2 library is. I mean, it's easy to get overshadowed by stuff like FFVII, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Chrono Trigger, but I'd argue that they're on the same level as (or even below) Nocturne, P4, and Digital Devil Saga -- and that's just in one series that also had P3 and the Raidou games. It's all there: SRPG, decent anime knockoffs, AAA FFs/KH/DQ, card RPGs, FROM shit, turn based, monster raising, action RPGs...and all of these niches have 2-3 games in them at least. Mindblowing.
Palom
Member
Yeah, as a huge Japanese-style RPG fan, the PS2 is by far my favorite. The SNES and PS1 seem really limited to Square/Enix to me. I'm really floored by the breadth of games available on the PS2.
I've been playing through the Atelier Iris games lately, and will be starting Atelier Iris 3 tonight. I am really enjoying these. The sprites are really well-animated, the music is fantastic, and the games aren't overly long (30ish hours or so). There are some oddball titles I've picked up that I'd like to get through later, like Ephemeral Fantasia, Stella Deus, Okage, or MS Saga. I've even become interested with the Western-style RPGs like Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and Champions series.
RPGs make up about 70% of my PS2 library. The only other system that comes close is the PS3, which is a little less than 50%. Although that's a topic for another debate, I feel like the PS3 really became quite a JRPG machine in its own right. But, yeah, the scope of titles available on the PS2 is unmatched, and I have enough games to keep me busy for years already.
PlayStation the brand I think has always had close ties to JRPGS ever since FF7 really.
But dollar for dollar I'd say as much as I love the PS2 library the quality of jrpgs on both PS1 or SNES trump the ps2.
Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy 2 3 , Mario RPG, FF9 the list goes on
NormalFish
Banned
It's a quality vs quantity thing for me. The PS2 has something for everyone, but a lot of it isn't quite as good as most of the PSX/SNES offerings on the traditional JRPG front.
DidntKnowJack
Member
I was digging through boxes the other day looking for my old Need For Speed Underground discs, just because of the new NFS announcement. Anyway, it occurred to me after I opened box after box after box. God damn I have a lot of old PS2 games. I hope someday these become worth something.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I dunno why I don't see the PS2 as a particularly amazing RPG system. There's the FF titles, SMT, DQ8, and... that seems like kinda it for the highlights. I wish there was less anime-ish stuff and more games with an aesthetic like Parasite Eve or Vagrant Story. Or maybe I just missed the more "serious" RPGs.
NormalFish
Banned
SMT carries the PS2 RPG line up incredibly hard. Not much else is a match to the the PS1 or SNES, tbh.
sixteen-bit
Member
PS1 and SNES had MegaTen titles too though. Are the PS2 ones better?
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Absolutely.
SNES Megaten titles were pretty archaic. PS1 had Persona 1 (which was bad), Persona 2 (which was great), and a couple of other Japan-only titles.
PS2 had Nocturne, which alone is enough reason to consider it the best system for Megaten games. Then you factor in Persona 3 Fes and 4, and Digital Devil Saga (part 2 was particularly good). I never liked the Raidou games, but whatever. Atlus was still killer on the PS2.
NormalFish
Banned
Depends on who you ask, I'd say. I think most people would advocate for the PS2 MegaTen games, though. Persona 3 and 4 are certainly more approachable than Persona 2, for example.
That said, there really aren't many PS1 SMT games. Especially not in the west. Persona 1 port, Persona 2 (only one of them), and that's it iirc. There's soul hackers and If... in japan as well as the other Persona 2 game, though.
**As far as which system is the go-to if you want to play SMT games, yeah it's 100% the PS2 if only because there are so many (7, I believe).
The PS was the wild west where people weren't sure what would and would not work in 3D, which led to some wonderful experiments. The PS2 was more a refinement of the stuff that stuck, but you still get a lot of wonderful, quirky titles. Definitely toned down a bit in terms of standard RPGs but you still have games like Metal Saga, Dark Cloud 2, BoF: Dragon Quarter, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, etc.
I heard some dude on some podcast recently mention the same thing about early 3D games but in reference to the N64, which I thought was hilarious. Probably on BiMP. Must be sad to have been shackled to that instead of owning a PS during that gen.
Nocturne is like the pinnacle of mainline SMT for me. Persona 3 and 4 totally changed the game for that series.
I heard some dude on some podcast recently mention the same thing about early 3D games but in reference to the N64, which I thought was hilarious. Probably on BiMP. Must be sad to have been shackled to that instead of owning a PS during that gen.
Nocturne is like the pinnacle of mainline SMT for me. Persona 3 and 4 totally changed the game for that series.
drtomoe123
Member
I think tone is a big issue when it comes to PS2 games, especially because so many of the character designs immediately chose to use anime-based models. It's frustrating because there are a few games that I initially passed on because they looked to animey -- once I started playing, I realized that the game's actual tone was pretty different and it made the anime style a little less bothersome.
I dunno. I mean, I think when it comes to every major RPG that people mention when talking about the PS1, I think the PS2 has a just as good (if not superior) game. Wild Arms 3, Suikoden V, Tales of the Abyss, Persona 3/4, Nocturne, DQVIII, and Xenosaga 3 are some of the most well respected games in their respective franchises. Grandia Xtreme and Breath of Fire V are way underrated. As the recent ports have shown, FFX still resonates with a lot of people and you can even see the 180 that a lot of GAF has taken with XII judging by how many people want an HD version. Even though they may not have the fanfare of the SNES or PS1 games, it's easy to recognize that they're games that do what they do very well and are above-average entries in the franchise -- and it's great because you have one turn based and one MMO like (and that's not even considering the unique experience of XI).
But the best part about this system is while you've got your big franchises represented (usually in multiples) you've also got so many unique and innovative games that follow the PS1's lead. For every Thousand Arms you've got Ar Tonelico and Atelier. Dark Cloud takes Alundra's role as the Zelda clone. Even though From Software's output at the beginning of the gen was spotty (at least they were playing with the system), the PS2 has King's Field IV (it's a shame that we never got Shadow Tower Abyss). MS Saga is a fantastic take on the classic turn-based JRPG.. All 3 Shadow Hearts outdo Koudelka -- Covenant is top-tier. I love Mega Man Legends, but Drakengard and Kingdom Hearts are great alternatives. I'll admit that the PS2's weakness comes down to SRPGs (if you don't like NIS, you don't have a lot of options that can match FFT or TO) and classic turn based.
Like I said, I've always been a PS1 fanboy but now that I'm starting to dig through my collection I'm realizing that a lot of these games have a lot more flaws than I'd like to remember. It's whatever, haha. At the end of the day both systems have a fantastic collection of quality RPGs.
theSlacker
Member
Disagree with that for sure. This isn't trying to be disparaging towards Drakengard and Kingdom Hearts but those games don't even seem like they are in the same genre as to be alternatives to each other or MML. The other comparisons you made were pretty good though.
Anyway, I don't have anything to add to the actual topic going on. :3
Megaman legends is the better game than Drakengard - let's be real here. Without Koudelka setting the stage i dont think the SH series would have the same effect.
I disagree with almost all of this post. *crosses arms*
Shadow Hearts series and Wild Arms are there. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits if you haven't played it yet.
But yeah, PS1 and SNES are still the king RPG consoles.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Oh, forgot Shadow Hearts. I really liked the first game and what I played of the second.
Haven't bothered with any of the Wild Arms stuff yet, or Arc the Lad. Maybe I should...